February 08, 2008

290407 Wat Ananda Metyarama - part 3

Kala above the wheel of Dharma guards the Jalan Bukit Merah entrance:

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On the other side of the entrance arch, a 'yan' (ยันต์) diagram engraving:

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The loops allow for the design to be drawn in a single continuous line when drawing it on paper or cloth or tattooing onto skin.

Elephant & monkey presenting offerings to the Buddha:

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There are different depictions of the Buddha for each day of the week, with two for Wednesday, & this is the one for Wednesday night. It comes from the story of the monks of Kosambi - an elephant & a monkey took care of the Buddha when, upset over disagreements between two groups of his disciples, he retreated into the forest for solitude. The monkey is shown offering a honeycomb, while the elephant is usually shown offering a bowl of fruit...though the cat has seen versions where the elephant is offering lotus flowers, & here it can't figure out what on earth the elephant is holding in its trunk...

Naga eave bracket:

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Door panels:

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Lord Brahma sitting on his mount, a hongsa bird:

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Chinese refer to him as 四面佛 (four-faced 'Buddha'), even though he is not a Buddha but a Hindu god. For this reason he is always found outside in a shrine of his own (this temple has one) rather than within any of the temple buildings.

1 comment:

Nod said...

well i read, that the 四面佛 reside in a heaven of his own, and because he is a proud god. and also the need to see all 4 directions, his shrine is always kind of a open affair.